Apparatus for use in treating cotton and other fibrous materials



1,629,068 J. w, COOK APPARATUS FOR USE IN TREATING COTTON AND OTHERdFIBROUS MATERIALS 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 16, 1923 'n N 1,629068 May17,1%?. J'w'COOK APPARATUS FOR USE IN TREATING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUSMATERIALS Filed July 1e. 1923 Sheets-sheet 2 1,629,068 May 17 192]' J.w. COOK APPARATUS FOR USE IN TREATING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALSFiled July 16. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 17, 1927.

lll'lED STATES rarest oFFIcE.

roirn WILLIAM coen, oriafinezansrnr., ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN TREATENG CSTTON .AND OTHER `FIBROUS MATERIALS.

Application lecl July 16, 1928, Serial No. 651,909, and in Great'BrtanJuly 18, 1922.

,lhis invention relates to the treatment of cotton and other .librousmaterial preparatory to car-ding.

ln the said treatment of cotton as at prescntearried out a number ofmachinesV are employed and the material. put through a number ofprocesses with the object of removing impurities and of obtaining aneven ,and repeatedly doubled lap suitable for treatment in a cardingengine. ln these processes no considerable alteration is produced in thedensity and compactness of the material after it has been fed from the.mixing bins, since the proc-sses subsequent to mixing, althoughrepeatedly loosening the libres, invariably terminate with the niaterialbeing compressed into a lap, this being necessary partly to put thematerial into a form convenient for feeding to the subsequent machine,but more particularly to enable the said material to be doubled by'feeding the fleeces from two or `more laps simultaneously.

The chief object of this invention is to provide a method of and meansfor treating` opened cotton without necessitating the multiplicity ofpreparatory machines such as openers and scutchers at present employed.

Cotton in the bale is first broken in a bale breaker and is then blendedor mixedeither by hand, pneumatic, or mechanical means; this blendedcotton is, according to this invention put through a continuous andprogressive process of conversion from a compact matted condition to alight and fleecy one; the material after being` opened is treated solelyin a mixing bin, a hopper feeder, and one or more pneumatic looseningand doubling machines adapted to deliver the material in the form of adoubled fleece suitable for treatment in a cardiug engine; and means areprovided for regulating the quantity of material fed to the saidpneumatic machines.

n The material delivered by a hopper feeder is normally sufficient tosupply several pneumatic apparatus and measures may be. taken toregulate the feeding forward of the material delivered by a hopperfeeder so that no pneumatic apparatus receives a greater quantity thanis desirable. One method of effecting such regulation is rto allow theproduction to accumulate and the accumulated material to be supplied tothe pneumatic machines, as required-for eX- ample, by hand. Anothermethod is to provide mechanism adapted automatically to control thespeed at which the material from the hopper feeder is fe'd to tbepneumatic apparatus, the said mechanism being also adapted tol modifythe speed of the hopper feeder in accordance with the quantityof'material that it is delivering, so that .when more than apredetermined quantity of material is being fed to the pneumaticapparatus-that is to say, more than is required adequately to supply thesaid pneumatic apparatus-the speed ofthe said feed and also thev outputof the hopper feeder are both reducedg and, vlce versa when less i ftegeninA than the sai-d predetermined quantity is being fed forward thespeed of the said feed and also the output of the hopper feeder areincreased. y

The material from each pneumatic loosening and doubling machine alsorequires to be/divided up amongst several carding engine-s, and thisvmay be effected by feeding the material to a divided or multiplelickerin adapted to carry it to several air trunks each of which maysupply a supplementary pneumatic apparatus from which doubled fleecesmay be fed `direct to the carding engines.

In the accompanying drawingsA Y Figure l is a general diagrammatic'viewof one construction and arrangement of apparatus for carrying out theherein described method of treating cotton or other fibrous materials;

Figures Q, and 3 are respectively side and front elevations of automaticfeed-regulating mechanism for controlling the quantity of material fedto the pneumatic machines;

Figures si and 5 are respectively a side elevation and a plan ofautomatic mechanism for returning to an earlier stage in the process anymaterial that is rendered superfluous through any of the cards stopping;and

' Figure 6 is a plan of means for dividing the product of a pneumaticmachine so that the various portions may be fed to several supplemental.pneumatic machines.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

First, referring more particularly to Figure 1, A is a bale breaker fromwhich the broken material is fed through a pipe A1 to a bin B,`Where itis mixed or blended by means of ahorizontal feed lattice B1, a

but which'. is' opened to enable the mixed and blended .terial to beremoved5 A Asi'ngleb'ale' breaker A will supplysuiiicient material forseveral mixing-'bins B which are charged one after thel other and their'mechanical miXingdevices B1. B2. B3

set in motion'. The mixed and' blended ma-A terial is removed manually,or in: any other convenient manner from each bin B into) several hopperfeedersC where it is carried forward by a feed lattice C1 totivo'spi'ked'lattices C2 C3; the material passes forward between the'oppositely moving" adjacent portions of the lattices C2 C3 tol'ie-'atersG4 C3 and is drawn'to al pair ofV perfo'ratedrollers D D1 bysuction produced within the said rollers by means of a fan D2 and trunkseZ (Z1. The material passes between the rollers D D1 and since it is ina v'ery loose condition, and since the quantity deliveredfrom' eachhopper feeder C by the rollers D D1 is sufficient to supply several ofthe n'i'aichines used later in the process', in order to facilitate thedividing of the material betweenra number of such later machines theproduction ofthe hopper feeder is permitted to accumulate and is fed tothe said Vlater machines` required. To this end the material fed forwardby the perforated rollers D D1 carried,'by feed rollers c e1 tov rollersE, E1, E2, E3, which form the said material into a soft roll B;

The rolls R are placed as required upon a feed lattice f of a pneumaticloosening a'nd doubling machine G; in the drawing' two rolls B1 B2 areshown in fiddle backs f1. As shown best in Figures 2 and 3 there isprovided automatic feed-regulating mechanism for controlling thequantity `of material fed from the rolls to the pneumatic machine G'.The said automatic feed-regulatingf mechanis-.m comprises a pair ofmeasuriimrollers F2 f2, a feed roller F3, variable driving mechanism forthe feed roller F3, ,and meanscontrolled from the rollers F2 f2-adaptedto act upon the variable driving mechanism to cause the feed roller F3,to be driven at a speed appropriate to the quantity of material passingbetween the rollers F2 f2. The upper roller F2 is mounted in fixedbearings and the lower roller f2 is a pedal roller mounted. upon leversf3 fulcrumed at.;E4 and connected througha piano regulator f5 (Fig-ure3)' and a rod f3 to a lever f7 pivoted at f3 to a bracket f3, the otherend of the lever f7 being;`

connected by a rodF4 to a slidingr belt fork forming partfof a variabledrivinggear l comprising *conical` pulleys FFm, a' belt F7, worm gearingF3, a continuously driven vwill' thus be seen that the speed of theieedroller F3 depends upon the quant' oiV material passing between therollers F2 The cone FG is driven by a rope F11A from any convenientrotating' part of the pneumatic apparatus.

The said pneumatic loosening' and doubling-apparatus comprises alicker-in G1 with a canopy G2; trunks G3, G4, G3; fans G3 G7; andreciprocating wire cage delivery apparatus G3.

As described in the said specification the machines G deliver thematerial in light fleeces upon a delivery lattice G2, and in accordancewith the present invention these fleeces are led forward to a licker-inroller H provided with a feed roller H4 and a canopy H3. The productionof each pneumatic machine G will usually be sufficient to supply severalcarding engincs,l-three being shown in the drawing, K1 K2 K3, and thesaid material is fed to the carding' engines through trunks h1 h2 7i*leading from the canopy H3 of the licke'r-in H to pneumatic doubling andfeeding' machines J1 J2 .lisimilar to the machines G-which deliver thematerial in light lceces upon the feed plates 701 722 7e3 ofV the saidcardine' cngines.

The licker-in H is tted with dividing plates H1 H2 (Figure 6) whichdivide the materialy into approximately equal portions.

Provision is made for dealing' with any material rendered superfluousthrough any of the cards stopping. rlllhe trunks h1 7a2 h3 are eachiitted with a return trunk (only one 71,11 is shown in the drawing)leading back to the mixing' bin B'. Each return trunk is controlled by atlapper or switch plate 7i operated by automatic mechanism M (Figure l)and shown in detail in Figures Lland 5, which are respectively a sideelevation and a plan. In the said figures, the plate 'if is shownpivoted at 1 and adapted either to close the trunk t11 leaving the trunkk1 open as shown in full lines, or to close the trunk 71,1 leaving thetrunk L11 open. m is any convenient continuously driven shaft, m1 is acrank disc mounted thereon and having a connecting` rod m2 pivote'dthereon at m3, the said rod havingY its other end pivotc'd at m4 to arocking' arm m3 of a shaft m6. m7 is a disc secured to the sliaftwt3 andcarrying a strap 'm3 formed in two parts h'eld together and also held infrictional contact with the periphery of the disc m7 by springs fm, mthreaded upon rods inn/m11 secured to lugs m12 m12 of one part of thestrap ms and passing freely through holes in lugs m13 m13 of the other`part of the said strap. Normally that is to say, while the eardingengine (7:11) supplied by the trunk /L1 is working the parts are in thepositions shown in full lines in the drawing, and any convenient deviceupon the said carding engine or upon the machine J1 connected therewithis employed to keep an electric circuit (indicated at M1 M2) broken sothat a solenoid is not excited and a spring N 3 maintains a rockingdetent M5 MG with its member M5 in engagement with a notch IN 7 in thestrap m8; but should the card stop from any cause the electric circuitis closed, the solenoid becomes excited, and in drawing its core MXinward rocks the detent until its member M5 leaves its notch andreleases the strap m8 which rocks with the disc m7 whereby the switchplate z' is rocked-by a connecting rod Ms and an arm MQ-about its pivot'i1 into the position indicated in broken lines in which the trunk h1 isclosed and the return trunk L11 open, when a notch M4 is brought beneathand is engaged by the member M6 of the detent, thus locking the plate t'in the position described until the electric circuit M1 M2 is broken,when the action described above is reversed and the parts return to thepositions shown' in full lines.

The rocking shaft mG is mounted in bearings as of brackets a5 secured toupright members G11 of the pneumatic apparatus G.

Each return trunk leads to a chamber b opening into mixing bin B andfitted with a fan b1.

A certain amount of impurities (dust, seed, leaf, immature cotton) areremoved in the breaking and mixing, that is to say, before the materialcomes within the scope of our process, but further provision for theremoval of such Aimpurities as still remain in the material is made byarranging grids P beneath theV spiked beater' C5, Aand still furthercleaning operations are effected at the perforated rollers D D1, atgrids beneath the liclrer-in G1, at the Wire cages of the reciprocatingdelivery apparatus G8, at grids beneath the licher-in I-I, and at thewire delivery cages j1 jg jg of the pneumatic machines J1 J2 and J3.

In the process described above the material is loosened mechanically inthe mixing bin and hopper feeder; it is then further loosened by thecurrent of air in the trunks of the pneumatic appliances and doubled bylaying a large number of extremely thin ribbon-like layers of materialone upon the other so that more eflicientdoubling is obtained than isfeasible even when several openers and scutchers are employed and theirrelatively thick laps doubled in the usual manner.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent in the United States, is zl. In apparatus for treatingcotton or other fibrous material the combination of means for openingthe material, mechanical feeding apparatus adapted to loosen and carryforward the material, a plurality of pneumatic feeding appliancesadaptcd'to receive the material from the mechanical feeding apparatus,means adapted to regulate the supply of material to the said pneumaticfeeding apparatus, means adapted to deliver' the material 'from thepneumatic feeder in the form of a double fleece, a plurality of cardingengines, and means adapted to divide and feed the said doubled fleecesto the various carding engines.

2. In apparatus for treating cotton or other fibrous material thecombination of means for opening the material, mechanical feedingapparatus adapted to loosen and carryL forward the material, apluralityl of .pneumatic feeding appliances adapted to receive thematerial from the mechanical feeding apparatus, means adapted toregulate the supply of material to the said pneumatic appliances, andmeans adapted to deliver the material from each pneumatic feeder in theform of a doubled fleece, a plurality of carding engines, and meansadapted to divide and feed the product of each vpneumatic feeder to theplurality of Carding engines.

3. In apparatus for treating cotton or other fibrous material thecombination of mechanical feeding apparatus adapted to loosen and carryforward the material` a plurality of pneumatic feeding appliancesadapted to receive the material from a mechanical feeding apparatus,means adapted to regulate the supply of material to the .said pneumaticfeeding appliances, means adapted to deliver the material from thepneumatic feeders in the form of a .folded fieece, means adapted toldivide and carry forward the product of i each pneumatic feeder, aplurality of carding engines, and a plurality of' supplementaryappliances adapted to carry the material from the dividing means rtoeach of the various carding engines. V

4. In apparatus for treating cotton or other fibrous materials thecombination of mechanical feeding apparatus adapted to loosen and carryforward the material, a plurality of pneumatic feeding appliancesadapted to receive the material from the mechanical feeding apparatus,means adapted to regulate the supply of material to the said pneumaticfeeding appliances, means adapted to deliver the material from thepneumatic feeders in the form of folded iieeces, means adapted to dividethe product of the deliverin means, means adapted to carry forward t evarious divisions of the loo said product, and a plurality ofsupplementary appliances each adapted to receive one division of thesaid product and to deliver the same to a carding engine.

5. In apparatus for treating cotton or other fibrous materials thecombination of mechanical feeding apparatus adapt-ed to loosen and carryforward the material, a plurality of pneumatic feeding appliancesadapted to receive the material from the mechanical feeding apparatus,means adapted to deliver the material from the pneumatic feeders in theform of folded fleeces, means adapted to divide the product of thedelivering` means, means adapted to carry forward the various divisionsof the said product, and a plurality of .supplementary appliances eachadapted to receive one division of the said product and to deliver thesame in the form of a doubled fleece to a carding engine. r

6. In apparatus for treating cotton or other fibrous material thecombination of mechanical feeding'apparatus adapted to loosen and carryforward the material; a plurality ofpneumatic feeding appliances toreceive the material from the mechanical feeding apparatus; meansadapted to regulate the supply of material to the said pneu- `maticfeeding appliances, the said regulating means comprising feed rollers,variable driving means for said rollers, and means actuated by thematerial and adapted to control'the said variable driving means; meansadapted to .deliver the material from the pneumatic feeders in the formof folded fieeces, means adapted to divide the prod-uct of thedelivering means, means adapted to carry forward the various divisionsof the said product, and a plurality of supplementary appliances eachadapted to receive one division of the said product and to deliver thesame to a carding engine.

7. In apparatus for treating cotton or other fibrous material thecombination of mechanical feeding apparatus adapted te loosen and carryforward the material; a plurality of pneumatic feeding appliances toreceive the material from the mechanical feeding apparatus, a pianoregulator, feed rollers for the material, variable speed gearing adaptedto drive the feed rollers, means for controlling the variablespeed'gearing the said means being actuated from the piano regulator;means adapted to deliver the material from the pneumatic feeders in theform of folded fleeces, means adapted to. divide they product of thedelivering means, means adapted to carry forward the various divisionsof the said product, and a plurality of supplementary appliances eachadapted to receive one division of the said product and to deliver thesame in the form of a doubled fleece to a carding engine.

8. In apparatus for treating cotton or other fibrous n'iateriall thecombination of means for opening the material, mechanical feedingapparatus adapted to loosen and carry forward the material, a pluralityof pneumatic feeding appliances adapted to receive the material from themechanical feeding apparatus,lmeans adapted to regulate the supply ofmaterial to the said pneumatic feeding apparatus, means adapted todeliver the material from the pneumaticfee-der in the form of a doubledfleece, a plurality of carding engines, a plurality of supplementaryappliances each. adapted to receive one division of the said product andto deliver the same to a carding engine; means, operable upon thestoppage of a carding engine, adapted to divert the material from thefeed of carding engine.

9. In apparatus for treating cotton or other fibrous material acombination of mechanical feeding apparatus adapted to loosen and carryforward the material; a plurality of pneumatic feeding appliancesadaptedto receive the material from the mechanical feeding apparatus;means adapted to regulate the supply of material to the said pneumaticfeeding appliances; means adapted to deliver the material from thepneumatic feeders in the form of doubled fieeces; means adapted todivide a product of the delivering means; feed trunks each adapted toreceivev one division of the said product; means for producing aflow ofair in the said trunks; a plurality of carding engines; a plurality ofsupplementary appliances each adapted to receive the material suppliedby each feed trunk and to deliver the same to a carding` engine; returntrunks leading from thefeed trunks; and means, operable upon thestoppage of a carding engine, adaptedto cause the material being carriedforward in the feed trunk pertaining to that card-ing engine to bediverted into a corresponding return trunk.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN WILLIAM COOK.

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